Magnetic rolling device



51s 1 SR stnmm W FIFSSUZ sw em May 27, A. F. SPILHAUS 3,446,999

MAGNETIC ROLLING DEVICE Filed March 1, 1966 Sheet of 2 #1 FIG.

INVENTOR.

ATl-IELSTANF. SP/L HAUS BY y 7, 1969 A. F. SPILHAUS 3,446,999 v MAGNETIC ROLLING DEVICE Filed March 1, 1966 Sheet 5 of 2 INVENTOR.

ATHEl STA/VI SP/l. HAUS I %,W MAM- W ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent 3,446,999 MAGNETIC ROLLING DEVICE Athelstan F. Spilhaus, Mound, Minn., assignor to Experimentory Corp., Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Filed Mar. 1, 1966, Ser. No. 530,991 Int. Cl. H02k 41/06 U.S. Cl. 310-13 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rolling device has one wheel with a conductive surface which continuously contacts an electrically energized magnetizable rail. A second wheel has a segmented conductive surface which contacts a second electrically energized rail. A plurality of electromagnets are connected between the two wheels which are successively energized as the device rolls along so that they are successively attracted toward the rails thereby continuing the movement of the device.

This invention relates to a magnetic device and in particular to a rolling device which is impelled by the action of electromagnets.

There have been known a number of games or the like in which an object is propelled along a given path by virtue of its being subjected to one or more electromag netic pulses. For example, toys :are known in which a magnetic article is advanced along a predetermined path by progressive energization of solenoids located along that path. That general principle has also been applied for imparting movement to each bullet in an electromagnetically impelled machine gun. In all of these prior art devices, it was necessary to have a series of electromagnets strung along the path of the moving article and precise synchronization of the energization of the magnets with respect to movement of the article. Thus, these prior art systems were relatively expensive to construct initially and required the maintenance of rigid timing operations.

It is therefore among the objects of the present invention to provide:

(1) An inexpensive system for magnetic propulsion of an article which does not require energizing a plurality of successively energized magnetic means disposed near the path of the article.

(2) A system for electromagnetically impelling an article along a predetermined path in which the article need not have interior parts that operate by movement thereof.

(3) A rolling device all of whose parts are fixed positionally with respect to one another as the device is impelled along a predetermined path in response to electricity supplied to it.

(4) A novel system for magnetic propulsion of an article which does not require precise energization of a plurality of electromagnetic means disposed along a path in which the article moves.

These and other objects of the invention, which will occur to those skilled in the art upon perusing the present drawings, specification and claims herein, are accomplished by the apparatus described or illustrated in the various figures herein.

FIGURE 1 illustrates a plan-view of one form the present invention may take.

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation view of the rolling device depicted in FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a view of one end of the device shown in FIG. 2 showing in phantom some of its internal constituents as they are positioned at a given point in time.

FIGURE 4 is another end view of the same object as in FIG. 3 but at a slightly subsequent point in time.

Patented May 27, 1969 FIGURE 5 is a sectional, longitudinal view of the device -shown in FIG. 4 taken along section line 55.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 5 taken along the section line 6-6.

FIGURE 7 shows a side elevation and partly sectional view of another form that the rolling device may take according to the present invention.

FIGURE 8 shows a loop arrangement of the track with which the rolling device shown in FIGS. 16 and 7, for example may be employed.

FIGURE 9 shows still another form that the rolling device constructed in accordance with this invention may take.

FIGURE 10 depicts still another form of the rolling device which embodies the present invention.

In accordance with my invention, I provide l) a rolling device which includes a plurality of electromagnets therein which are successively energized, (2) stationary magnetic means disposed in proximity thereto and (3) means for successively energizing the electromagnets. As the electromagnets are energized, they are attracted toward the stationary magnetic means thereby imparting rolling motion to the article. In one form of the invention, a rolling device moves along a two-rail track made of a magnetic material to which opposite terminals of a direct current source are respectively coupled. The rolling article includes a plurality of electromagnets and has on one side a continuous conductive surface which engages one of the rails. On its other side there are a number of commutator segments. The direct current is applied, successively, to each of the electromagnets by means of the continuous and commutator plates. Upon energization, the electromagnets are successively attracted toward the rails causing rotary motion of the article. Still other embodiments are possible which are either illustrated, discussed or claimed below.

Referring to FIGURE 1, there is shown generally at the numeral 11 a system which includes rail 12 and rail 13. Rail is connected to the negative side of a DC source such as battery 14. Rail 13 is also conductive and is connected to the positive side of the source 14.

Disposed on the rails 12 and 13 is a rolling device or article 15. In the form shown in FIGS. 16, the article 15 may have the general appearance of two truncated cones joined at their base. The device 15 includes a shell 17 made of plastic or other material. Surrounding the left half of the shell 17 is an electrically conductive, generally conical member 16 that is fixed to the shell 17. Disposed on the right half of the device 15 are a plurality of curved, generally triangular conductive segments 18, 19, and 20. They may be attached to the plastic shell 17 in any appropriate manner as by adhesives, etc. Segments 18, 19 and 20 are mutually separated by spaces 21.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there are disposed within the plastic shell 17 a plurality of electromagnets 22, 24 and 26. In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 16, three of these electromagnets and three of the conductive segments 18, 19 and 20 are employed to insure that the device will begin to move regardless of its position when it is initially placed on the rails 12 and 13. However, it should be noted that, if desired, only two electromagnets and two of the curved conductive segments may alternatively be employed. In that case, however, it may be necessary to start the device rolling by hand to insure that the device picks up sufiicient momentum that the two electromagnets are successively brought into play.

In the form shown in FIGS. l6, these electromagnets have respective windings 22a, 24a, and 26a. The windings 22a, 24a, and 26a are disposed about coil forms 23, 25, and 27 respectively. The forms 23, 25, and 27 have their axes respectively disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rolling article 15 and have their ends attached, for example, to the interior surface of the plastic shell 17. Corresponding ends of these windings are conductively connected to the conductive cone portion 16 by soldering, for example, or by any other method. The other corresponding ends of three electromagnets are respectively connected to the curved conductive segments 18, 19, and 20. To concentrate the magnetic fiux of each coil, an iron core or equivalent may be inserted into the coil forms or the electromagnets may be directly wound upon the magnetic cores.

FIGURE 3 is an end-on view of the device 15 as seen from outside the rails 12 and 13. The broken-line 12 is a schematic representation of the top surface of the rail 12 into which the various conductive segments 18, 19 and 20 successively come into contact. The actual contact point is indicated at X, there being a corresponding contact point (not shown) on the other side of the device 15 at which the conical member 16 touches the top of the other rail 13. If the device 15 were initially set down on the rails as shown in FIG. 3, current from the source 14 would travel through the rail 12 and, at the point of contact X, would go through the conductive segment 20, thence through lead 24b (FIG. 5), winding 24a, and via the opposite lead 24c through the conductive conical portion 16 to rail 13 and the positive side of the current source 14. As a result, the winding 24a becomes an electromagnet and is attracted toward the rails 12 and 13 thereby causing the device 15 to rotate so that it moves counterclock-wise (as seen by the reader in FIG. 3) about its longitudinal axis.

As the device 15 begins to roll counter-clock-wise, the electromagnet 24 is brought closer to the rail 12 (FIG. 4) until the winding 24a is de-energized because the curved segment no longer touches it. The momentum of the device 15 will carry it past the dividing and insulating section 21 far enough to bring the next segment 18 into contact with the rail 12 thereby causing the next winding 22a to be energized. The latter winding is, in turn, attracted toward the rail 12 thereby maintaining the rotary motion. The same sequence of events will occur with respect to the energization of the subsequent segment 19 and its associated winding 26a.

If the device 15 is turned around 180' and set down on the rails 12 and 13, it will go in the opposite rotary direction (counter-clockwise in FIG. 1). This is because the relation of the position of the electromagnets to the commutator segments is such as to always cause the device to rotate in a counter-clock-wise direction as viewed from the commutator end thereof.

The double conical shape of the article 15 tends to keep it so that its midpoint is generally located halfway between the rails 12 and 13. Should the device 15 start to move axially (i.e., laterally inward), it will be seen that the circumference of that portion of the device which contacts rail 12 is considerably reduced. However, the circumference of that portion of it in contact with the rail 13 is considerably increased. This will cause the velocity of the portion in contact with rail 13 to increase whereas the velocity of the portion in contact with 12 will decrease. Thus, the axis of the device 15 will tend to rotate clockwise a bit so that its outer half will be moved outward somewhat thereby bringing a larger circumference portion into contact with track 12. This action will continue until the equilibrium position of the device is restored.

The double-conical construction of the device 15 also permits variations to be introduced into its speed by appropriate changes in the spacing of the rails 12 and 13 from one another. As may be seen from FIG. 1, rail portions 12a and 13a are closer to one another than are the portions marked by numerals 12 and 13. Thus, when the device 15 goes from the wider-spaced rails to the narrower-spaced rails, its speed will increase because the rails 12a and 13a make contact with larger circumference portions of the device 15 resulting in a greater angular velocity.

FIGURE 8 shows how the rails 12 and 13 may be formed into a loop-the-loop shape. The device 15 can travel either within or without the loop assuming that the field produced by its electromagnets is sufiiciently strong to overcome gravity.

In another form of the invention, as shown in FIG. 7, the device 15a may be substantially as shown in FIG. 2 except that it may additionally include a ring 28 of a heavy metal such as lead at its point of maximum girth. This will at high rotational speeds give the device a gyroscopic effect.

FIGURE 9 shows still another embodiment of the invention in which the rolling device is not of doubleconical type. Instead, it could be made in the form of a two (or more) wheeled device indicated generally at the numeral 30. The two wheels 31 and 32 are pictured as being the driving wheels whereas the other two wheels 33 and 34 are idler or driven wheels. The wheel 31 is joined to the wheel 32 by means of a central shaft 35 about which they "both rotate. The wheel 31 has a conductive portion 31a which makes contact with the rail 12 and is connected to the outer ends of windings 37 and 38, as well as to one end of another winding not visible in that figure but which is located 60 from each of the other two windings and is hidden by shaft 35. The windings 37 and 38 are wound about coil forms 40 and 41 which are also fixedly positioned between the wheels 31 and 32. Similarly, the unseen winding is wound about a third coil form or core which is fixed between the wheels 31 and 32. The respective other ends of the windings 37 and 38, as well as of the unseen winding, are connected to the conductive portions 32a, 32b and 320 respectively. Thus, it is seen that wheel 31 corresponds to portion 16 in device 15 and portions 32a, 32b and 320 correspond to segments 1-8, 19 and 20 in device 15.

The wheels 33 and 34 are connected to the driving wheels 31 and 32 by means of a bar 43 extending from the shaft 35 to a counterpart shaft 45 around which the wheels 33 and 34 rotate. In addition, there are two connecting rods 46 and 47 pivotally connected toward their left ends to pins such as the pin 48 projecting outwardly from the side of wheel 32. Toward their right ends these rods are connected to corresponding pivot pins 49 projecting outwardly from the wheels 33 and 34.

It will be seen that upon energization of the rails 12 and 13, the wheels 31 and 32 will drive the wheels 33 and 34. Of course, a superstructure such as a train housing or the like may be mounted above the wheels. The particular coupling of the driving wheels to the driven wheels may alternatively be different from the arrangement shown in FIGURE 9. Instead of the connecting rods, a gimbal could be inserted into axial holes at the ends of shaft 35 or into axial apertures at the ends of shaft 45. Similarly, axial apertures in the ends of the device 15 could be fitted with a gimbal-type coupling to pull one or more conventional-wheeled cars on the track.

In the forms of the present invention previously explained, the stationary magnetic bodies, the rails towards which the electromagnets were successively attracted were also used as the means by which the direct current was supplied to the electromagnets. It is possible, however, to devise an alternate embodiment of the present invention in which the tracks or any other support are made of a nonconductive material. In this case a magnetic body such as a strip of iron would be disposed in the vicinity of the tracks within the range of the effective magnetic field of electromagnets in the device.

It is also possible to mount the electromagnets so that, instead of forming effective bar magnets as shown in the figures, they form effective horseshoe magnets so as to increase the intensity of the localized magnetic fields produced thereby. For this purpose, U-shaped cores made of a magnetically-permeable material could be disposed within the double-conical member.

Also, the electromagnets can be disposed within the double-conical member along a plane bisecting the device at its midpoint so that their respective axes are perpendicular to the axis of the device. They may, in that form, be either of the bar magnet or horseshoe magnet type. This arrangement might be used with advantage where the supporting rails are non-conductive and a separate strip of magnetic material is disposed midway between the rails just below the path that the outer ends of the electromagnets take while rolling.

FIGURE shows still another form that my invention may take. The rolling device is a spherical object depicted generally at the numeral 50. It consists of two or more electromagnets comprising cores 51 and 52, which may either be coil forms or magnetically permeable material, around which windings 53 and 54 are respectively disposed. The cores 51 and 52 are positioned within a plastic shell 55. A channel 56 is connected to the inside surface of the plastic shell 55 at its periphery. Within the channel there is a body 58 of a conductive fiuid such as mercury. In the upper portion of the channel (12 oclock position) as shown in FIGURE 10, the mercury 58 is disposed so that it is in contact with the terminal 57. The latter extends through the groove wall and is connected to the positive terminal of a current source such as battery 61. However, it does not simultaneously wet another terminal 59 which extends through the wall of the channel and which is conductively connected to the lead 54b of the winding 54. The other lead 54a is connected is connected to the negative terminal of the current source 61.

In the portion of the channel shown in the 6 oclock position in FIGURE 10, the mercury does simultaneously wet the terminal 63 attached to the megative terminal of the battery 61 and the terminal 62 connected to the lead 53a of winding 53. The circuit is completed via lead 53b to the positive terminal of the battery 61. Consequently, since the winding 53 is energized as shown in FIGURE 10, it will (be attracted toward the iron plate 60 on which the device 50 rests. It will, therefore, begin to move in a clockwise direction and the momentum of the device will carry it toward the right until the former upper portion of the channel is situated where the lower portion was and vice versa. At that time, the winding 54 will be energized by the mercury and the winding 53 will be de-energized thereby continuing the rolling movement of the device 50. In this form of the invention, successive energization of the electromagnets is not accomplished by exterior commutator segments but rather by the successive switching actions of the mercury pools. Nevertheless, the ball continues moving because of the attraction of the electromagnets contained therein to the stationary magnetic material located nearby.

In the forms of the present invention previously illustrated or described, the energy source for the electromagnets was DC. However, AC can alternatively be supplied. If AC is used, it can be applied directly to the electromagnets or, if desired, the rolling object can include a rectifier which converts the AC picked up from the track to DC. Actually, provided suflicient power is used, even radio waves may be employed to energize the rolling object if appropriate circuitry is included within the object. It is also possible to use electromagnetic induction to supply the necessary energy to the electromagnets.

If the electromagnets are to be arranged with their axes in a plane bisecting the rolling object, as has previously been suggested, the pole-pieces of the electromagnets can be spaced 120 from one another, if there are three of them. These pole-pieces can be arranged to project outwardly from the object at its point of maximum girth. There would be provided between and below the tracks, for example, a groove or channel made of magnetizable material into which the pole-pieces would successively dip as the object rolls. The fields produced at these projecting pole-pieces would therefore be very closely coupled to the magnetic material of the channel and the pole-pieces would also serve to prevent lateral movement of the object upon the track.

While all of the foregoing embodiments of the invention have contemplated two or more electromagnets in the rolling object, it may be possible to construct a rolling object having a single electromagnet. If this object is manually started in its roll with sufiicient force and the magnetic field is strong enough, it might continue to roll due to its momentum and the successive energizations of the single electromagnet.

Still other variations and modifications of the particular form of the rolling object or of the overall system which do not depart from the essence of this invention will undoubtedly occur to those skilled in the art upon a reading of this specification and a perusal of the drawings herein. It is therefore desired that this invention be limited solely by the claims herein.

I claim:

1. A system for imparting motion to an object comprising:

(a) a substantially immovable magnetic body,

(b) a rollable object having a plurality of electromagnets, said object being disposed in proximity to said magnetic means, said object being movable and including a plurality of electromagnets, and

(0) means fixed to said rolling object for supplying energy to said plurality of electromagnets in succession at closely-spaced intervals whereupon said electromagnets are repeatedly attracted to said magnetic body thereby causing said object to roll.

2. A system for imparting motion to an object comprising:

(a) a two-railed, substantially immovable magnetic track,

(b) a rollable object including two revolving wheels between which a plurality of electromagnets are disposed in proximity to said track, one of said wheels having a conductive portion continuously engaging a first of said rails when said object is rolling, the other of said wheels having a plurality of conductive segments corresponding to said plurality of electromagnets, said conductive portion being coupled to first terminals of said electromagnets, said conductive segments being coupled respectively to second terminals of said electromagnets,

(0) means for supplying energy to said electromagents by energizing selected ones thereof in succession at a plurality of closely spaced intervals whereupon said electromagnets are repeatedly attracted to said tracks thereby causing said object to roll.

3. A system for imparting motion to an object comprising:

(a) a tworailed, electrically conductive track made of magnetic material which is in fixed position,

(b) a rollable object having a plurality of electromagnets fixed thereto,

(c) means for supplying energy to said electromagnets in sequence at closely-spaced intervals whereupon said electromagnets are attracted, in sequence, to at least one of said magnetic rails thereby causing said object to roll, said last-named means including:

(i) means -for supplying a voltage across said rails,

(ii) a first conductive rolling member on said object which is continuously maintained in rolling contact with one of said rails, and

(iii) a second rolling member disposed laterally of said first member and having a plurality of segmented conductive portions which successively engage said second rail, said electromagnets being coupled between said first and second rolling members.

4. The system according to claim 3 wherein there are at least three of said electromagnets disposed substantially equidistant from one another and wherein said first and second rolling members are substantially coaxial with one another.

5. A system for imparting motion to an object comprising:

(a) a substantially immovable magnetic body,

(b) a rollable object which includes a plurality of electromagnets, said object being disposed in proximity to said magnetic means, said plurality of electromagnets being arranged with their axes disposed substantially in a single plane, said object in rolling rotating about an axis substantially perpendicular to said plane, and

(c) means for supplying energy to selected ones of said electromagnetic means a plurality of times at closely spaced intervals whereupon said electromagnets are attracted to said magnetic body thereby causing said object to roll.

6. A system for imparting motion to an object comprising:

(a) a substantially immovable, substantially planar,

ferro-magnetic body,

(b) a generally spherical rolling object having a plurality of electromagnets, said object being disposed in proximity to said magnetic means,

(c) means for energizing selected ones of said electromagnets in succession thereby causing said object to roll, said (c) means comprising:

(l) an electrical source fixed to said object,

(2) means fixed to said object and responsive to the position thereof for successively connecting said electrical source to selected ones of said electromagnets whereupon selected ones of electromagnets are energized in succession thereby causing said object to roll. 7. A movable object for use in a system which includes a substantially immovable body made of a magnetizable material and also includes a means for supplying electrical current, said object comprising:

(a) a body having the general shape of two cones joined to one another at their bases,

(b) a plurality of electrically conductive windings mounted to said cones,

(c) a plurality of exterior conductive segments located on the surface of one of said cones, said segments being adapted to be successively connected to said current carrying means when said object is rolling, and

(d) at least one exterior conductive member adapted to be connected to said current-supplying means when said object is rolling.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,632,284 3/1953 McDonald 46-243 2,750,898 6/1956 I-Ijortborg 310-12 XR FOREIGN PATENTS 477,953 1/1938 Great Britain.

MILTON O. HIRSHFIELD, Primary Examiner.

30 D. F. DUGGAN, Assistant Examiner.

US. 01. X.R. 46-243; 310-46 

